We get it; we understand how appealing it is to run paid ads in hopes of a big return on investment. You hope to grow your HVAC business — but month after month, your returns shrink and shrink. Your future looks bleak, so what do you do?
You, as a business owner, can’t afford to not advertise your business, so you throw even more money down the drain. This creates a paradox. In turn, you end up overspending on paid ads.
The thing is: you might not even realize you’re overspending! So how do you figure that out before it’s too late? Here are some pitfalls to keep an eye out for…
Targeting Pains
Your HVAC Business is Losing Money on Marketing
Business owners obviously know the whole runaround with budgeting. Declining sales and revenue are all a part of the game. However, this can send some HVAC business owners into a tailspin.
They’ll begin looking for ways to cut corners — whether it’s slashing employee pay, funding for service vehicles and tools, or eliminating training resources for employees.
But when it comes to budgeting for paid ads, some owners might be convinced that, “Oh, the more money I put in, the more reward I’ll get out!”
No. Stop it.
First off, ask yourself: Why am I spending this money on paid ads? What are my goals?
If you can’t answer these questions appropriately, do not spend another dime on paid ads. If you’re of the opinion that spending more will get you more, you’re probably just overspending. As a result, your business is hemorrhaging money at no fault of anyone’s but your own.
Of course, you’ll need a solid amount of money to invest in paid ads, but you need to be able to answer those initial questions first before continuing.
You’re Not Lead Generating Consistently Through Your Marketing Efforts
We said pouring extra money into your paid ads doesn’t always equate to better results. We weren’t lying.
If you find that your budget for paid ads is much higher than you’d like and you’re not seeing an airtight return on investment, it’s time for you to pump the brakes. But if you’re spending x amount of dollars on paid ads and not seeing results, you have to ask yourself why that’s the case.
So why is that the case?
Perhaps your audience targeting is not on par.
As an HVAC business, are you focusing on commercial clients? Residential? Service? Installs? All of it? This is the part of the process where you need to develop an audience profile. Figure out your target audience and factors like their age range, location, economic status, and other important factors that would make your business appeal to them.
Or maybe you’re using the wrong platform.
Remember that gathering intel on your audience is crucial. You need to understand the habits, behaviors, and interests of your target audience. Nurturing them is a whole other playing field.
You’re Not Closing Your Leads
On the flip, you’ve got a ton of leads just sitting in your lap. So what the heck are you doing?!
One pitfall that HVAC business owners fall into is not closing the leads that they already have. They become inundated with so many leads and, quite honestly, it’s very easy to take for granted. Once you have that seemingly infinite geyser of leads coming in, you begin to slack. Thus begins the slippery slope of not closing your leads.
On the other hand, you may get greedy — wanting more and more, thus spending more and more.
Applying Pressure
Why You’re Not Closing Your Leads
Once you get those leads, you should be ardently working to nurture them. Following up with phone calls, emails, drip campaigns, or whichever preferred method of communication is needed in order to maintain said leads.
Be honest: are you doing these things? If not, what are you waiting for?
Why You’re Overspending When You Can Cut Your Paid Ads Budget In Half
You’re probably overspending on your paid ads when you can probably cut your budget in half. As an HVAC business owner, you know how much it costs to run the business, pay for equipment, training, employees, vans, and the whole lot. Why waste more money than you need for paid ads?
You’re most likely overspending because you either…
- Don’t know your target audience
- Don’t have the appropriate data
- Have not incorporated the appropriate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) content
Make sure you truly understand who your audience is. Take into account…
- Economic status
- Location
- Age
- Consumer behavior
- The type of service you’re targeting them for (service/maintenance, new installs, upgrades)
When it comes to SEO, make sure you’re using
- Appropriate keywords
- Matching service descriptions
- The right service titles
Why Your Messaging Matters
In the case that you do have the correct data and audience analytics, it’s perhaps a sign that your messaging is flawed.
Here’s a little secret: If you’re not closing the leads that you send, it’s probably because the messaging in your ads isn’t strong enough to get people interested in learning more about you, your HVAC business, and your services.
You may be trying to sell them something they don’t want or need — and they can tell. Do they care about a deal? Or are they looking for someone who will help them with their specific problem? If it’s the former, make sure your messaging focuses on solving a problem instead of just informing people about what you do and how much money they can save if they use your service.
Your competitors may also be undercutting you.
If so, then consider switching up the way that you advertise so that potential customers know why using your company is better than using others’. For example: if another company uses higher-quality equipment but charges more than what other companies charge per hour/job, then mention this fact within an advertisement or two until someone calls; this will let potential customers know why paying extra could be worth it for their particular situation!
Solutions
Reevaluate Your Messaging and Purpose
Here’s a big solution for you: start reevaluating your messaging and purpose as an HVAC contractor.
What value are you bringing to your customers? Where do you sit amongst your competitors? Has your company earned a reputation for being the unaffordable HVAC business in town? If so, it’s important to remediate that ASAP!
Re-evaluate your messaging strategy so that it speaks directly to the needs of local homeowners who need HVAC services now—not just after an emergency has occurred!
Here are some pointers…
- Make sure your messaging is clear and concise.
- Make sure it’s relevant to the audience you’re targeting.
- Ensure that the purpose of your ads isn’t too broad or complex — it should be focused on one or two things, not ten separate actions or benefits that you want people to take away from them.
One big HACK: Set a target audience that may be interested but doesn’t need your services at this time! Someone will always need maintenance or an upgrade.
Nurture Current Leads
Another IMPORTANT LESSON: DON’T GET GREEDY!
Yes, as HVAC business owners, it can be appetizing to see all those wonderful leads come in. But what happens after? After all, those leads really only matter if you can convert them into paying clients.
Remain in contact with them through phone calls, emails, drip campaigns, and/or physical mailers. We suggest call tracking when making phone calls. Call tracking allows for you to analyze keywords, web pages, and ads that helped drive a prospective phone call. Furthermore, utilizing a service like HubSpot can help neatly organize your client base and view insightful email/drip campaign metrics, such as open rate, click rate, time spent viewing the email, and more.
You should also optimize your website. A strategic business owner will not only optimize their site, but also tailor their emails and drip campaigns to then funnel readers to the site. Moreover, your website should function as a hub/pipeline to further nurture leads. Consider the following for your website…
- A dedicated landing page for leads with specific needs
- Buttons for incentives (i.e. “Click here for a FREE strategy call!”)
If not directed from your emails, but rather directly visiting your website, make sure your homepage has…
- A sign-up form to get readers on your email list
- A chat box to address any concerns.
- Side note: this chat box doesn’t have to operate in real-time! You can set hours of operation and respond in a timely fashion.
Cut Back on Ad Spending
Ever heard of the saying, “A little goes a long way”?
With ad spending, that’s true — for the most part. Obviously, your HVAC business is not going to get away with spending a measly $500 on Facebook in hopes of a big ROI, but you need to iron out the fine details before pouring in more money into paid ads.
Ask yourself…
- Are your campaigns fully optimized?
- Where am I sending people?
You should ultimately be able to attain leads, nurture them (using the previously stated methods), and re-evaluate your messaging strategy so that it speaks directly to the needs of local homeowners who need HVAC services now — not just after an emergency has occurred!
By placing yourself at the forefront of solutions for home comfort issues (instead of reacting only when things go wrong), people will know exactly where they can turn first when they have any problems with their HVAC system down the line.
ONE18MEDIA’s Commitment to Your HVAC Business
At ONE18MEDIA, we know digital marketing. With proven success working alongside top HVAC businesses, ONE18MEDIA’s small-yet-mighty team has the experience to take your HVAC business above and beyond.
Let’s face it — you know you’re overspending on paid ads. But the reality is … IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!
Digital marketing and paid ads are not a one-and-done, set-it-and-forget-it type of deal. You need the copywriting expert, the SEO wizard, the social media maestro, and everyone in between if you want to run successful paid ads.
So if you want to STOP WASTING MONEY and SAVE A FORTUNE from paid ads, please visit our website and get in touch with us for a FREE MARKETING AUDIT TODAY!
DON’T MISS OUT!